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When the Sergeant shouted every one ready. There were cries of not yet. The pranksters were at work again, some had lost there Kit bags they were found hanging out the windows. We had slap up feeds better than some we got at home. My favorite was Egg and Chips. My mate Jarrett who came from down South. He later came to a sad end more later.
He was promoted to U/L/C this was unpaid, some said it was unwanted or useless. After he sewed his stripe on his sleeve, I said where are we going tonight, he said I cannot come out with you as, L/C`s cannot go out with Fusiliers. 2-weeks after I was promoted to U/L/C. He then wanted to go out with me, but I told him, I would rather go out with the Fusiliers.
In the Barracks we had a large room with 20 beds. These were iron and they folded in half, by pushing the bottom half into the top half, they also could be taken apart. One day we arrived back after a meal, to find all the beds except one piled in the middle of the floor. The one that did it was too stupid to put his own there too.
Twice a week his bed was pulled to pieces. We did not have any more trouble after that. One day I was ordered to report to the office and found I was made Orderly Corporal. By the afternoon I was about worn out running here and there at the R.S.M`s call. He said to me you look hot and bothered. So I told him about having to run around as much, he then said have you not heard of delegation. After that I used to grab the first one I saw then I could sit back and take it easy. Later I was placed in charge of 20 immatures, they had been band boys or were born in the Army, and so were placed as young soldiers. Sometimes they were terrors but not to me. I was the only one they would take orders from.
We had a room to ourselves. One day I was called away for about 20 minutes, when I got back they had baled up this L/C, and had a Bayonet at his throat. I stopped them and told the L/C not to come back anymore. I had a kit inspection one day, and one of the boys had 2 rifles, and nearly 2 of everything else. So I had to put him on a charge he lost 7 days pay and 7 days C.B. and all the extras he had taken from others.
One day I had to learn a chap to march properly. He used to swing his left arm with his left leg, and his right arm with his right leg. After three or four hours he managed to get it right.
Articles were never lost they were only passed around. They were a lot of live wires, ages ranging from 15 to 18 years. There was never anything stolen just borrowed. After Dunkirk, 90 of us were sent to Launceston in Cornwall to make up the number of dead or missing, from the 9th Battalion, which had escaped from Dunkirk.
Territorial Unit nick named the ‘fireside Army’, their barracks had been Alnwick Castle, the Home Of Lord Percy. Packing our kit I found someone had pinched my Bayonet, so I went to the nearest room and helped myself to one. We got on the train from Newcastle to London, in those days it was a whole day travelling.
I had been with school trips as far as Edinburgh, and Scarborough. London sounded like the other side of the world. When we got to Kings Cross it was pandemonium. Most of us had never seen escalators and they were going up and down and annoying the civilians, so the M.P. said we had to stop to going up and down. Can you imagine 90 soldiers in full kit and kit bags, and Rifles, trying to get on the Underground train?. The civilians were glad to see the last of us.
We arrived at Waterloo for the train to Launceston in Cornwall. When we got to the campsite it was a sight, half naked men hanging on trees. As we had been trained like Guardsmen, it was a shock to hear them calling each other by there first names even the Officers. The R.S.M. was John Ahearn, he was born in Percy Main the same village as myself.
After a short time we moved to Norfolk, our Platoon was stationed at Wells. We then moved to Stifkey next stop to Blakeney here I was asked to dinner by an elderly couple while I was in church. He told me he had a boat down on the river and I could use it any time I liked. So my mate and I used to go rowing down the river.
He had a large shed in the back garden with rows of shelves. All filled with Sweet William pears and we could help ourselves to as many as we liked. Then off to Cromer then to Winterton-on -Sea, these places were all on the coast, as we were Machine Gunner`s we had Gun Emplacements on the Beach.
The dugouts were equipped with a Telephone and were connected to the other three dugouts our Headquarters and the Suffolk Regiment, which had the next stretch of beach south of us. At this time they were expecting an Invasion by the Germans. We had a pathway to walk through the Minefields, which surrounded the dugouts, as all the coast was mined.
I was in charge I used to take first watch until 11.30pm, then I handed the Pocket Watch to the next two who came on guard. I then gave them instructions, to wake the next two and hand over the Watch, then I went to bed and slept all night to be awakened if any thing happened.
Anything could happen especially, if daft Willy Elliot was on guard. One night I was awakened by Willy and he said look at all the Aeroplanes, they were only clouds passing very quickly with the Moon shining. Another time early one morning I came out of the dugout and Willy was throwing something away from the dugout. I asked him what he was doing and he said “I am trying to hit that mine over there”. I had no option but to put him on a charge. I went on a truck with him to Yarmouth, where our Headquarters were. He was marched in to Captain John Thornhill and was charged 7 days Royal Warrant and confined to Barracks for 7 days. He came out the room and the Sergeant Major said to Willy “Let me see your rifle”, he was then marched back in again and received the same punishment for having a dirty rifle. Willy, daft or not, always had the girls flocking around him. We all wished we had been daft too.
We used to try to get spare ammunition, for use when we left the Dugout. As the coast was mined we had to travel the long way around by truck. On the way back in the morning I used to stop the truck. I would shout everybody off the truck, “Line up, Load aim Fire”, we sometimes saw feathers flying, but never went to see what they were. One day after this happened, we got around the corner and striding along was Donald Duck, he was a 2nd Lieutenant and we thought he was stupid. His name was Donald Carstairs. We stopped and he said, good morning to Nicholson.
Then I asked him where he was off to, and he replied, “I am going into that field to see if I can get a Rabbit”.
He climbed the fence and walked up the hill, we watched him and he fired and went tumbling down the hill. Later I asked him what had happened he said, “Silly me, I fired both barrels at once”.
This was the sort of Officers we where saddled with.
One morning I was awakened by the last guard and he said its time to go, but the replacement had not arrived, so we got on the truck and set off. Then I realised that it was darker than usual so I turned the truck and went back and I asked who had put the watch forward. They had all been putting on 10 minutes or so.
We exchanged dugouts and I was south of the village next to the Suffolks. One night I was standing with the guards waiting for the time for me to go to bed, when I saw Donald creeping around the small hill we were on.
I took the rifle off a guard and shouted “who goes there”,
He was shouting “Its me, Its me”
I said “Advance and be recognised”, it was dark and I had the rifle at his throat.
Then I said “Oh its you”.
I’m sure his knees were knocking.
Next day I was talking to a Sergeant from the Suffolks, and he said he nearly had to hold poor Donald’s hand, to show him where our dugout was.
Some nights, we would all be on the telephone talking to each other and a Suffolk Signaller as well, even Donald joined in when he found out what was going on.
One day I said to Straughan, I’ll drive the truck to the office, well we took off in first gear and zoomed through the gate, missing the posts, around the corner and squealed to a stop at the office. I did not tell him I had never driven a truck before, but I never had the chance again.
We had a terrible Cook, name of Wishart, and he always put out tinned sardines on the table every day, but no one would eat them. So one day I got the men out into the backyard, and armed one with the brush, I then gashed each tin then threw it at the brush and it was hit over the high wall. I was on the last tin when Donald walked in and asked, what were we doing. I said; we are getting rid of this rubbish, and I showed him the tin he never said a word. I told him the farmer went out this morning with the swill and he was smiling. I asked Donald if he knew why the farmer was smiling and didn’t know. I then told him that the Farmer went off with our meals and left the swill behind.
I met a Mr and Mrs Smith, they lived in 7, Backlane, I was invited to dinner and this became a regular thing. I was always lucky enough to find a table somewhere.
After a while at Winterton we then moved to Sheringham. Then further down the coast to Cromer there we were billeted in a Hotel on the Sea front. One morning a German Bomber came over and he dropped a Bomb on the Cafe about a 100 yards down the street. Some of the lads were firing a Bren Gun from the windowsill in the next room. I was fast asleep, and did not hear anything.
Twice I was sent to Coltishall for different courses, we were then off again this time to Bacton-on-sea, then off to Holt, where I was due for a weeks leave. The Captains Driver and a Clerk were to go on leave the same time as me. The time to leave was 4pm, at 2pm they were both off for the train, so I immediately went to the Office and asked for my Pass. He refused at first, but when I told him about the other two going off sooner than allowed, he gave me my Pass. We caught the same train which was a slow one, all the way around the coast to Peterborough. We changed trains there for Newcastle. We had to report back to Selkirk in Scotland. On the way up to Newcastle I told them that the Battalion was not due for two days until after we reported back. I said that I would have two extra days and they also decided to do the same.
After my leave was finished I left Newcastle by train for Carlisle, then had to change for Selkirk. When I climbed into the carriage there was one Soldier and he asked where are you going and I told him. Selkirk. I then told him he was a Signaler in the Suffolks and he asked how I knew that. I told him I recognised his voice as it was me he talked to in the dugouts.
When we arrived at Selkirk we travelled by lorry to the Duke of Bacclues Mansion at Bow Hill. After we arrived we were immediately placed under arrest in the Guard room. My information was not reliable, I then told the Sergeant that, if I was not released in ten minutes he would be in trouble. I was a Lance Corporal and had to be under close arrest and to have an escort of the same rank. He was back quick smart and I was released into the charge of Corporal Thompson. As he had to go where ever I went, I made his life a misery, as I kept going in and out and he didn’t have a minute’s peace. He said that if ever he was arrested he would ask for me as his escort.
On the Monday morning I was marched before the C/C Captain Thornhill on a charge of being absent without leave, I said my Mother was a Widow and was very sick and I had to arrange things so she could be looked after. I got off with a reprimand, but the other two got seven days but they always blamed me. It was not my fault as they made their own decisions, I did not force them to follow me.
We were six to a room and our room was the Servants Quarters, with the bells above the door for service to the different rooms. Our beds were three boards and a straw filled pallias. We were awakened every morning at 6am and we had to be dressed in shorts vests and sandshoes ready for P.T. we ran along the road to the bottom of a very large mountain or so it seemed. We then had to run up to the top then run down again lucky for us there were trees to help stop us from going to fast. I found another house to get my feet under the table and so had some where to go when I wanted a good meal.
We were on the move again this time by road in our 15 cwt trucks. As I was L/C number one Machine Gunner I always travelled in the front seat which was more comfortable than being in the back with the rest of the kit.
We left Selkirk via Carlisle, then Warrington, Liverpool through the tunnel to Birkenhead. Then across the Wirrel to Parkgate which is on the River Dee. I was in ‘Z’ company and we were stationed in a small mansion with large grounds. P.T. every day was running along the promenade. We went as far as Ness then Little Ness and back to our mansion. One day I was leading and I was jumping between signs of Parking and no Parking painted on the road. I jumped too far and fell and I had a very bruised ankle. I was sent to a Hospital in Birkenhead for a week.
After two days I was allowed out with a walking stick, the civilians would let me be first in the queue a poor wounded soldier. In May 1941 Liverpool was bombed for eight days without stop. If I was out, I had to be back by 8 o’clock, then if I got to sleep before 9pm then no amount of Bombing could wake me.
On the Wednesday of that week, I was in charge of the night patrol and as usual Gerry arrived at 9pm over Liverpool on their raid. About six of us including 2nd Lieutenant Addey were standing outside watching, and one plane came along the Dee, it was on fire.
So I said to 2nd Lieutenant Addy that we should send out Patrols, as the Crew would have jumped he did not think much of my suggestion. So I asked my mate Corporal Tommy Thompson to take his squad out on patrol. He arrived back ten minutes after with the German Pilot, who had landed on the river Dee. He had come through the mud to the esplanade and given himself up to an Air-raid Warden who was standing on the corner. The air raid warden handed him over to Tommy Thompson. This was the first German we saw and the last.
We took the German pilot into the office and there were three men with fixed Bayonets standing pointing at him. I told him to empty his pockets he only had a handkerchief and a small tin, which when I opened it had some coins and a sheet of paper. This was a typewritten form with the headings in German and the answers in English. 2nd Lt. Addy then started to ask him questions, where had he come from. The German stood up clicked his heels and said “I am a German Officer and I cannot tell you”. Addy then went into to the office across the hall, I followed him and asked him what he was looking for, to which he replied “King’s Rules and Regulations, then I can find out what I can ask him”.
This was my first and last German that I ever saw during the War. The C/O.arrived and telephoned for the police. They came and took him off to jail.
As usual I had my feet under two other tables. One at Mr and Mrs Murray of 8, Mostyn Gardens, Parkgate and the other was Mr and Mrs Hargraves of Ness. I also met these two elderly people at the church in Ness. All the people, who invited me to meals were very kind. I think this was part of there service to helping in the War effort.
We had the Battalion Sports Day at the billets. The field we used for the Sports was like a rough paddock. I entered for the 400 yards and the Mile. The starting pistol was a 303 Lee-Enfield Rifle firing blanks. I won the 400 yards in 58 seconds. As I lay on the grass trying to regain my breath they announced that the mile would be starting in three minutes. I went to the starting line and off we went. I was lying fourth at the start of the last lap and won the mile from Willy Walker who was the champion. Lieutenant John Webb was the starter and he placed a blank cartridge in the rifle, pointed it at a empty carton and blew it to pieces. One of the lads had got hold of a blank, put it in his rifle and fired at his mates behind which was peppered with pellets.
After the races we went on manoeuvres, into North Wales, at Bangor also to Troius-Fyniod. I had to teach 2nd Lieutenant Webb how to use a Director to line up the four Machine Guns. So I gave him instructions what to do and let him get on with it. After a while he told me that he was finished. I then told him to look at the guns, they were all pointing to our own lines, he had forgot to zero the Director and was 180 degrees out.
One night we were allowed out and we went on the lorry to Fynoid, four men had there elbows on the side of the lorry and going around a corner, the driver got to near to the kerb and the four chaps had there elbows cracked on a Telegraph Pole.
We also went on Traffic Duty to Shrewsbery, which was an all night drive. Not long after we started my driver Doug Greg said he was tired so he was having forty winks while I drove with my right hand.
Rumours were flying around that we would soon be leaving for overseas, we were fitted out with Tropical kit and they said it was Beruit or Basra.
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